Ron Bailey (London, Unlock Democracy): On Friday 15th June a Bill passed through the House of Commons that started a process of ‘bottom-up' government which, hopefully, signifies the end of the ‘Whitehall-knows-best' variety of politics that we have endured for too long. The Sustainable Communities Bill will, if it passes through the House of Lords, require the government to publish and implement action plans to reverse community decline. But those action plans will be like no others in existence or even thought of (until now!). Before deciding on the measures to implement the Secretary of State MUST (not may):
- Invite suggestions from all councils - nothing new there, but read on
- Co-operate with the Local Government Association (LGA), as the representative body for local government, on which suggestions from councils should be short-listed and acted on (i.e. not just the usual top-down duty to consult).
- Publish a breakdown for each council area of spending by government agencies or quangos
- On the basis of this breakdown consider, with a presumption in favour of acceptance, requests from councils for a transfer of functions and resources to them from those agencies.
- Report annually to Parliament on progress.
But the ‘power sharing' goes right down to local communities. Before submitting any suggestions a council must not just consult their communities but must (again, not may) also:
- Set up representative citizens panels to establish mechanisms to involve communities
- Try to reach agreement (i.e. not just consult) with those panels in making suggestions for government action.
- Consider the best way to involve the most disengaged and dispossessed sections of the community.
Sustainable Communities may not be perfect - and we should all look to improve it - but, as Communities Minister Phil Woolas said in Parliament on Friday 15th, it is one of the most significant Private Members' Bills in the last 40 years. And it is the first ever attempt to legislate for bottom-up government.
